"This is our seventh year and we always do it at the end of January. It gets a jump start toward the spring and people thinking about what they want to do or change in their homes," said Kevin Linville, director of sales.

Linville said attendees should get ideas on home projects from a variety of vendors including kitchen and bath remodeling, windows and doors, landscaping and garage additions.

REPORTER

María Cortés González

"They can get innovative ideas for the inside and outside of the home," he said.

Michael Amosson with Viking Productions will offer free antique appraisals all weekend. People are welcome to bring their attic treasures and find out how much their items are worth. Amosson has years of experience appraising items that range from childhood toys and autographed memorabilia to vintage items and glassware.

"He's a legitimate appraiser and will be buying and selling as well," Linville said.

Bertrand said she has been busy with real life and traveling around the country doing seminars since she won the HGTV network design competition in 2008. She found out she was pregnant two days before she won.

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Her son was born with two rare malformations and Bertrand and her husband are constantly flying to New York for his medical care. But she still manages to make it work, currently working on a new Ronald McDonald house in Kansas City, where she lives, and doing presentations. She also is a spokesperson for the International Design Guild, a flooring company.

"I was known for a lot of paint stuff so I like to teach people ... and a lot of what I do is D-I-Y (do it yourself) and cost effective things," she said in a telephone interview.

Bertrand, for example, will be talking about how to change the color of kitchen cabinetry at one of her presentations Saturday.

"Say, you have honey oak cabinetry and want a darker walnut color, there's a no sanding way I demonstrate that can update the cabinets. And it saves time," she said.

The designer also will have tips to help people create rooms that look like they were put together by a professional.

"I like teaching people how to make it look expensive without making them spend a lot of money," she said.

Bertrand said home owners are welcome to bring pictures of a room on their phones and ask her for suggestions after her talks.

Organizers said they expect anywhere from 10,000 to 11,000 people walking through the convention center this weekend.